Stan Simpson: October 2008 Archives

For the last few years, like clockwork, there has been a racially charged incident at Quinnipiac University -- the private Hamden, CT campus where I do some teaching and lecturing as a professional in residence with the School of Communications.

Previously, there has been no resolution to the cases, no closure. The university has been more concerned with protecting its image than in confronting the realities of racism among a small faction on campus.

There is a small percentage of minorities on campus. The school, however, has been trying to make diversity a priority, conducting forums on race and inclusion and stepping up efforts to hire more folks of color. That's why the racial incidents - slurs etched on a dorm door or wall, or harassing phone calls -- have been so deflating. They don't represent what the large majority of the QU family is about.

This week, Hamden police arrested three QU students and charged them with making threatening phone calls to African American students. The three have been expelled from school. One of the suspects, Charles Merritt, 18, of Clifton, Maine has been charged with a hate crime.

Though university president John L. Lahey has condemned such acts, he has been slow to use the power of his office to make sure there is legal closure to these cases. Calling in the cops EARLY on this one was a good thing. The expulsion, though premature, sends a very clear message: Anyone on campus who gets arrested in connection with these kinds of allegations will be asked to leave.

School officials need to remember that they'll be judged on how they handle these disturbing situations, not the fact that the incidents occured under their watch.

It should be noted that three of the victims involved in this case are members of the QU basketball team. The university has made an enormous investment in upgrading its Division I program. One only hopes that the sense of urgency in resolving this particular case wasn't heightened because it involved African American athletes in a high-profile athletic program.

If that was the case, then let it serve as the new primer on how to deal with allegations of racially motivated intimidation on campus:

1. Get the cops involved immediately. Encourage students to assist in providing confidential information.

2. Expell, or suspend indefinitely, anyone who is arrested.

3. Reiterate to the campus that anyone engaged in racially-motivated intimidation acts will be arrested first, then shown the door. Make that particularly clear during freshman orientation.

Finally, the university needs to be more open and transparent with the media -- including student journalists -- when these incidents first occur. Let them have unfettered access on campus. Have them talk to the students and staff. Let them see that these incidents, embarassing as they are, are not an accurate reflection of the campus.

Folks, what are your thoughts on this? What else could QU have done in handling this? How can universities as a whole better manage racial incidents such as this? What are your impressions of Quinnipiac?

Soon, there'll be no need to stuff that loose change in your pockets when traveling to downtown Hartford, CT

The city is in the first phase of a plan to roll out new parking meters that will allow parkers to also pay by credit or debit card.

And get this, supposedly the ticket is portable. So, if you paid to park for an hour, but only used up 30 minutes, you can use up those minutes at another city parking spot.

Just a Thought: It's good to see 21st century technology coming to the parking meter industry. I'm tired of fishing for coins, only to realize you don't have enough to make it before the meter police makes its rounds. So, you end up taking the risk and getting slapped with a costly ticket

What do you think? Do you like the idea of having the option to use your debit card or charge for your parking fees? Will this help downtown restaurants and shops?

Every now and then, something so sobering, so horrific, so cruel occurs in a person's life that it makes you take a respite from the concerns in your world -- and even disengage from the daily drama of a historic presidential election.

My heart breaks for entertainer Jennifer Hudson, just 27. In the span of a few days she has endured the deaths of her mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew in what Chicago police are calling a "domestic related'' situation. The news of her nephew dying broke today (Monday).

Hudson's career has been on fire. She has that rare combination of spellbinding singing and riveting acting. When her career took off after an Academy Award-winning performance in Dreamgirls, she still remained the humble church girl raised by her mother in the south side of Chicago.

Fame most times comes with a heavy price. The cost, in this case, is excessive.

What are your thoughts about Jennifer Hudson. Can she rebound from this horrible tragedy?

With the election just 10 days away, you may want to check out what young people have to say about America. A group of them are involved in the "Young Americans'' exhibit from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, CT.

Admission is free.

Just a thought, but we often talk about building a future for young people, but why do we so rarely seek their input on what kind of future they want to see.

Who'd have thought these trips for starched shirts and pressed pants could be so enligthening.

For those of who aren't regulars to Just a Thought, my dry cleaning lady created an e-mail furor when I wrote a recent column about her striking comments to me over her "concerns'' about Barack Obama. To put it bluntly, the dry cleaning lady feared that an Obama presidency could spur a Black Nation -- one in which African Americans would gain control of the country, and Black men, particularly, would feel emboldened to do as they pleased.

A couple of e-mailers suggested that this White middle aged, divorced and widowed mother was a figment of my imagination. Folks, I ain't that creative.

Said she saw him on television recently taking about the cost of the Iraq and his plans to end it. She was impressed. Previously she saw Obama as an "appeaser.'' And as far as Sarah Palin, this working mom wasn't feeling the hockey mom. And when it comes to John McCain, the dry cleaner said she's seeing him now as too stuck in his ways.

What about the race thing?, I asked hesitantly. Oh, she replied, she was just repeating what she heard others saying. She's over that.

Well, what do you know.

I'll going to write more about the dry cleaning lady's change of heart in my Saturday column. Check it out.

Is America getting over race as this elections comes to it's finale? Or, have concerns about the economy and jobs temporarily usurped race?

We always knew race was the elephant in the room in this historic presidential election. Age -- John McCain would be the oldest elected president at 72 -- was considered a periphery issue.

The latest Pew poll indicates otherwise. About a third of those polled now say McCain is too old. In the Sept. 9-14 poll, 23 percent polled answered Yes, when asked if McCain was too old. Less than a month later, 34 percent polled answered Yes.

What are your thoughts? McCain's mother, Sarah, is 96 years old. Is it unfair to label Mac, who also has survived cancer a few times, too old? And did the selection of Sarah Palin as his VP cast more light on his age than necessary?

Don't believe the hype that this historic presidential election is now Barack Obama's for the taking.

Ohio is still a critical swing state. No Republican president has ever won the election without winning Ohio. And there are some, um, perspectives there - particularly in Eastern Ohio - that certainly will help John McCain and Sarah Palin.

How pervasive is this thinking is anyone's guess. But to think it's limited to rural Ohio would be a BIG mistake.

A few weeks ago I wrote a column about a dry cleaning woman and her concerns about Obama. A couple of readers suggested that I made her up. They simply couldn't believe that people like that exist.

Last Saturday on my WTIC NewsTalk 1080 radio show, gay marriage proponent Anne Stanback of Love Makes a Family was one of my guests. I have much respect for Anne, even though we philosophically disagree about this topic. It was an engaging conversation.

Last week, Connecticut's Supreme Court passed a landmark ruling, by a vote of 4-3, that would legalize gay marriage.

Wolfgang is encouraging Connecticut citizens to vote Nov. 4 for a Constitutional Convention that potentially could put the issue of gay marriage up to a referendum, decided by the electorate.

I'm still responding to the flood of e-mails to my recent column on this issue.

Based on my religious beliefs and upbringing, I believe that marriage is the union between one man and one woman. I support civil unions, but draw the line at redefining the term "marriage.''

The e-mails to that column are running about 50-50. Either I'm a hateful Neanderthal or a courageous truth teller. Hey, it comes with the territory.

Anyways, you can check out the radio show live -- or on line if you like -- or download and listen to the podcasted interviews. The show runs from 5:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. The Wolfgang interview is at 8:35 a.m.

Creator Daniel Beaty tries to tell the multi-faceted story of Black male life through the images six African American males ranging in age from 10 to 60.

Black males, I've maintained, are an endangered species.

The suicide rate among Black men has doubled since 1980. One in three will have some experience in prison. Fifty percent drop out of school; 72 percent of Black male high school drops out are unemployed.

The statistics are sobering. If it were happening to any other population on the planet it would be called a crisis.

The lack of fathers or positive male role models in the household is at the root of this problem -- 72 percent of Black males will grow up in a home with a single parent.

If we're going to change the condition of Black males -- and by the way this is not to suggest that there aren't plenty of educated, family-oriented Black men living productive lives -- we have to deal with this reality of getting dads and men back into the home.

What are your thoughts, folks? How important are the roles of dads and positive males in stopping this viscious cycle?

As you gear up for tonight's third and final presidential debate, a little light entertainment for ya:

I thought all those NY tabloid stories about baseball stud Alex Rodriguez stepping out on his wife -- now ex-wife -- Cindy to spend time with Madonna was just an example of Big Apple journos having too much time on their hands. Afterall, the NY Yankees season was a bust.

But the AP is reporting that the Material Girl and her man Guy Ritchie are kaput, ending an 8-year marriage. Both had strongly denied that the marriage was in trouble. This is sure to spur more speculation about A-Rod's night crawling, and whether Madonna lured him in part through Scientology. Should be an interesting off-season.

Stay tuned.

Where would A-Rod and Madonna rank among the all-time celeb couples? Would they be bigger that Angelina Jolie - Brad Pitt?

Who do you think is America's number one celebrity couple -- ok make that number #2 after Bradgelina?

One of professional boxing's fastest rising stars hails from New Haven, CT. His name is Chad Dawson. On Saturday, "Bad Chad'' became the undefeated light heavyweight champion of the world defeating Antonio Tarver in Las Vegas.

None of Connecticut's newspapers covered the event.

I don't know of any of the state's sports bar that carried the fight, which aired on Showtime cable. A shame, because the 26-year-old Dawson is a talent. Bigger and better paydays will be coming his way. One of boxing's problems is that there are too many champs in each division. That's also the case with Dawson's division.

But he is poised now to begin making the case that he's got the goods to be considered one of boxing's best.

Up next for Dawson could be the winner of the Nov. 8 Joe Calzaghe v. Roy Jones light heavyweight fight at Madison Square Garden. That should be a good one.

Are any of you Just A Thought regulars, boxing fans? If so, what's your take on Bad Chad? Do you think he has the goods to be one of boxing's best? Does he match up better with Calzaghe or Jones?

Connecticut's landmark state Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage is a talker.

I've maintained that we should not be redefining the longstanding definition of marriage -- the union between one man and one woman. In a column I wrote in 2005, I said the gay marriage issue is not a civil rights issue. This is about sexuality, sexual orientation and trying to shoehorn it into public policy. The definition of "marriage' shouldn't be a moving target. And, by the way, you aren't necessarily homophobic for expressing that point of view.

If we're going to blur the lines of marriage, then go all the way. Simply leave the term "marriage'' open to interpretation. It's whatever you want it to be, with whomever you want it to be with. How about that?

I'm going to be talking to Anne Stanback, executive director of Love Makes a Family, Saturday on my WTIC NewsTalk 1080 radio show. Stanback's group has been instrumental in advancing the gay and lesbian rights movement in CT. She and I have had some very civil but substantive talks about this issue. She's done a great in advocating for her constituents.

You can listen to my live chat with Stanback on line at 9:15 a.m. Or, you can hear a podcast of the interview after it's over.

So what sez you. Is gay marriage a bad idea, or one whose time has come?

So, in fairness to the Peacock -- and in recognition of the fickleness of ratings -- we add this nugget it sent over:

NEW YORK - October 9, 2008 - According to Nielsen Media Research data, "Meet the Press" was the most-watched Sunday morning public affairs program, winning the week ending October 5 in all categories. "Meet the Press" was No. 1, averaging 4.256 million total viewers, +31 percent more (+1.015 million) than second place CBS "Face the Nation's" 3.241 million, a +33 percent (+1.063 million) lead over ABC "This Week's."

John McCain is an American hero for having survived as a POW in the Vietnam war. God bless him!

But I've always wondered how his opponent Illinois Sen. Barack Obama would have been perceived if he had:

Ranked near the bottom of his class -- 894 out of 899 students -- in the Naval Academy

Self-described his military life as a boozer and carouser

Been involved in 4 airplane crashes.

Used the influence of his father and grandfather -- both Navy Admirals -- to get plum military assignments he was unqualified for.

Just a thought, but would Obama be perceived as a hero? Or, would he be denounced as a slacker and a spoiled, mediocre soldier who didn't apply himself in school and nearly paid the ultimate price for his laziness.

Rolling Stone Magazine has just published an extensive profile on John McCain, whose life and career, it says, "reveals a disturbing record of recklessness and dishonesty.''

It is a must read. Please do so. Then give me your thoughts.

Have we been hoodwinked by this self-styled maverick? Or, is this just a mean-spirited hatchet job by Rolling Stone?

I like and respect Tom Brokaw, but he lost control of this second presidential debate Tuesday night in Tennessee. There was little engagement, no real follow-up and everytime time became an issue, Brokaw blamed candidates Barack Obama and John McCain for not abiding by the rules they negotiated.

Wrong. As moderator, Brokaw has to play the bad guy. If a candidate is going long, you cut him off. Simple. Brokaw was too deferential and it resulted in a tepid debate.

For example, if the time limit is approaching, a simple: "10 seconds Senator'' would suffice, then the moderator has to jump in and say "time, sir.''

Once the rules are set, the moderator runs the show and should be given broad latitude to pep things up if he/she so chooses.

There were great opportunties to engage on issues such as the candidates' budget plans, foreign policy and where they differed philosophically.

In grading Round 2 of the presidential debates I'd have to give this a Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Just a thought, but let's hope the final debate Oct. 15 at Hofstra University is more lively, with ample opportunities for the candidates to confront and challenge one another. Though frankly, I've seen enough.

Wake me when it's Nov. 4.

What are your thoughts? Did Brokaw mishandled this snoozer?

Did anything in the debate impress you or disappoint you? Who do you think won?

Hey gang. Just wanted to give a quick shout out to former Hartford Mayor Mike Peters, who is on the mend after a liver transplant.

No one believed in the promise of Connecticut's capital city quite like Mayor Mike, who now runs a popular downtown restaurant called, what else, Mayor Mike's.

(BTW, is that house special meatloaf still on the menu? Good eats!)

Though we butted heads at times when he was in office, the former city firefighter always told it to me straight. He's a good guy, a man who enjoys a good laugh, good company, a round of golf -- and a cold beer, or two.

Just a Thought mayor, but it says here that cancer doesn't stand a chance vs you.

Barack Obama vs John McCain is our new litmust test about race in America. But but let's not forget O.J. Simpson.

Truth is, Simpson won't let us forget him.

Thirteen years, to the day, that he was acquitted after being accused of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman in LA, Simpson was found guilty of kidnapping and armed robbery as he and a cast of misfits tried to regain possession of some of his football memorabilia in a Las Vegas hotel room

Here's something Blacks and Whites can agree upon now: O.J. is a certfied idiot.

In concocting the strong-arm scheme in Vegas, he obviously forgot that is still widely reviled by many in America who believed he beat a murder rap.

Instead of keeping a low profile and playing golf in Fla., arrogance and ego finally caught up with the former football icon. We can agree to disagree whether bloody gloves that didn't fit, a cop lying on the witness stand and Dr. Henry Lee saying "something wrong'' with the collection of evidence in the first Simpson trial provided "reasonable doubt'' for acquittal.

But there is no doubt that after the first trial, Simpson never acted like a man that was unduly pained by the slayings. His pathetic need for attention never subsided.

Read more in my column Wednesday about how this latest verdict may actually be an elixir for race relations.

Meanwhile, what are your thoughts about OJ and race. Can we learn anything from this?

Is Obama's ascension proof that we're moving in the right direction, or an example of how far we still have to go?

Ok, this conflict-of-interest stuff for political debate moderators is clearly causing, well, more conflict.

First ,some folks questioned whether PBS's Gwen Ifill could be impartial for the veep debate between Joseph Biden and Sarah Palin because she has a book coming out about how Obama's campaign has changed the political landscape.

Now, some in the blogosphere are asking if NBC's Tom Brokaw should recuse himself from moderating the second presidential debate Oct. 7.

The intimation is that Brokaw had become too cozy with the John McCain camp in serving as a quasi mediator in getting McCain to come on NBC. Camp Mac had been miffed at MSBC's opinionated duo of Chris Mathews and Keith Olberman and was threatening to pass on NBC-related interviews.

Brokaw successfully interceded, promising fair coverage.

Just a thought, but as with Ifill, if there is concern that Brokaw won't conduct himself in an unbiased manner, the onus is on the Barack Obama camp to ask him to step aside. It won't happen. Like Ifill, Brokaw is a highly regarded journalist who will play it straight and do his job as moderator.

What do you folks think, particularly those of you who believed that Ifill had a conflict? Should Brokaw recuse?

Meanwhile, your sitdowns with Couric are reviving her career. In Katie's most recent separate chats with both veep candidates, the question she had for Palin and Joseph Biden was not of the "gotcha'' variety, but it was one that required some thought and intellectual depth.

She also has been the target of conservative pundits who are questioning whether she will be partial to Barack Obama. Ifill, who is African American, is writing a book about how the impact of Obama's campaign has changed the political landscape.

The news about "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama'' is actually old news, even receiving a mention in Time Magazine's August edition. If the McCain camp had conerns about whether Ifill could be fair and balanced, it should have asked her to step aside weeks ago. It didn't. In fact, Mac had high praise for Ifill Wednesday.

The former New York Times, Washington Post and NBC News reporter is one of America's best journalists. This is her second time as moderator of a veep debate.

This debate comes days after Palin's uneven performance in a one-on-one interview with CBS's Katie Couric. Another disappointing showing by Palin could derail McCain's faltering campaign.

So, folks, this is a pre-emptive strike by the conservatives. If Palin implodes Thursday, of course it will be because Ifill had it in for her.

Just a thought, but expect Ifill to be what's she's always been -- prepared, probing and persistent. BTW, she'd be a great permanent replacement for Tim Russert on Meet the Press.

Here is Ifill's response to the flap. Here is what colleague Colin McEnroe had to say in his blog. What do you think -- should Ifill have stepped aside?